davesax36
Well-Known Member
Ok, guys. I've got my stuff all together and have put about 500 extra miles on in the last two weeks. Here's what let me do that with only three stops for gas.
I ordered an 8" aluminum fuel tank from http://www.coyotetanks.com/8inchendfillertanksusa.html
I did not get the "Tour Tank" one because it was about $40 more, and I decided that any sloshing around was probably going to happen whether there was a baffle in there or not since I got the smallest one available. I also ordered a locking gas cap and the hookup kit for 5/16" line.
It arrived in a little over a week. Everything was in one box, and they sent the original non-locking gas cap along with the tank, but with the locking one already on there. Somebody actually looked at my order to do this. That made me feel good.
The tank is raw aluminum, so it has a brushed feel to it. I like it. The circular brackets work just fine, but one of mine was twisted/bent a bit and was a real pain to get on, so it marred the surface in a couple places. Not a big deal to me since I bought it to hold gas, not win a beauty contest.
I have the Cycl-istic luggage rack, which is the perfect system for mounting one of these things. The rails on the rack are spaced just right for the brackets on the 8" tanks. I went to the hardware store and bought two black painted fence brackets, 4 8x1.25x25mm bolts, nylon lock nuts to match, and proceeded with the install. I drilled my own holes in the black plates, lined up the tank, and tightened the stuff down. Then I had to decide how to integrate the fuel lines and T-fitting.
I have the T-fitting oriented so it lines up with the line going back into the tank. If you look at the pic, it makes sense to me to have the path of least resistance going back into the tank rather than into the fuel filter. My goal was to open my flow valve somewhere around 100 miles to refill the stock tank rather than having it plumbed in downhill towards the fuel filter. I don't want to drive around with that reserve light on.
Also, the brackets for the Cycl-istic rack do not allow my corbin seat to seat fully onto the frame rails. This seems to be what has allowed me to run the fuel line the way I did. It would have to run under the grab rail and frame rail but over the fender for most guys, I think.
Once it was all hooked up, I went out for a shakedown ride. I went 203 miles on that ride without seeing the fuel light come on. I put in 4.5(ish) gallons. I think my speedo calibration might be a bit optimistic, but whatever. Google maps says it was 198 miles.
One thing you need to know is that once the fuel valve is open to drain the extra tank into the stock tank, it takes a couple minutes to fully drain. When it finishes, you will be greeted by the feeling that you've just run out of gas. No amount of fiddling with the reserve switch can make up for the lack of vacuum of a 2.5 gallon air pocket in the fuel path. All you really need to do is drive a couple miles with the valve open, then close it, to maintain vacuum, but it was not fun figuring this out with an 18-wheeler closing in behind me going down a hill.
I guess that's about it. It's nothing special, but it really gives me peace of mind knowing that I've got plenty of reserve fuel and can go longer between stops if I choose to.
I ordered an 8" aluminum fuel tank from http://www.coyotetanks.com/8inchendfillertanksusa.html
I did not get the "Tour Tank" one because it was about $40 more, and I decided that any sloshing around was probably going to happen whether there was a baffle in there or not since I got the smallest one available. I also ordered a locking gas cap and the hookup kit for 5/16" line.
It arrived in a little over a week. Everything was in one box, and they sent the original non-locking gas cap along with the tank, but with the locking one already on there. Somebody actually looked at my order to do this. That made me feel good.
The tank is raw aluminum, so it has a brushed feel to it. I like it. The circular brackets work just fine, but one of mine was twisted/bent a bit and was a real pain to get on, so it marred the surface in a couple places. Not a big deal to me since I bought it to hold gas, not win a beauty contest.
I have the Cycl-istic luggage rack, which is the perfect system for mounting one of these things. The rails on the rack are spaced just right for the brackets on the 8" tanks. I went to the hardware store and bought two black painted fence brackets, 4 8x1.25x25mm bolts, nylon lock nuts to match, and proceeded with the install. I drilled my own holes in the black plates, lined up the tank, and tightened the stuff down. Then I had to decide how to integrate the fuel lines and T-fitting.
I have the T-fitting oriented so it lines up with the line going back into the tank. If you look at the pic, it makes sense to me to have the path of least resistance going back into the tank rather than into the fuel filter. My goal was to open my flow valve somewhere around 100 miles to refill the stock tank rather than having it plumbed in downhill towards the fuel filter. I don't want to drive around with that reserve light on.
Also, the brackets for the Cycl-istic rack do not allow my corbin seat to seat fully onto the frame rails. This seems to be what has allowed me to run the fuel line the way I did. It would have to run under the grab rail and frame rail but over the fender for most guys, I think.
Once it was all hooked up, I went out for a shakedown ride. I went 203 miles on that ride without seeing the fuel light come on. I put in 4.5(ish) gallons. I think my speedo calibration might be a bit optimistic, but whatever. Google maps says it was 198 miles.
One thing you need to know is that once the fuel valve is open to drain the extra tank into the stock tank, it takes a couple minutes to fully drain. When it finishes, you will be greeted by the feeling that you've just run out of gas. No amount of fiddling with the reserve switch can make up for the lack of vacuum of a 2.5 gallon air pocket in the fuel path. All you really need to do is drive a couple miles with the valve open, then close it, to maintain vacuum, but it was not fun figuring this out with an 18-wheeler closing in behind me going down a hill.
I guess that's about it. It's nothing special, but it really gives me peace of mind knowing that I've got plenty of reserve fuel and can go longer between stops if I choose to.